Moratorium is a Breakthrough in Palm Oil Policy

Economic Coordinating Minister Darmin Nasution reiterated his view that government is expecting a complete review and a major law enforcement breakthrough by enacting moratorium on oil palm plantations.

Moratorium is a Breakthrough in Palm Oil Policy

JAKARTA--Economic Coordinating Minister Darmin Nasution reiterated his view that government is expecting a complete review and a major law enforcement breakthrough by enacting moratorium on oil palm plantations. The government also intend to give legal certainty to smallholder farmers to own 20 percent of land operated by big companies.

“We will protect conservation area. However, we will make significant change on area borders if the status of the land is not productive forest anymore and feasible for farming. We will convert the lands into Land Object for Agrarian Reform (TORA),” Darmin said at Global Land Forum (GLF) 2018 di Bandung, Monday (24/9/2018).

Darmin’s statement came after President Joko Widodo signed Presidential Instruction (Inpres) Number 8 year 2018 concerning moratorium on new palm oil development and ordered a review of existing plantations as well as boost the productivity of palm oil plantations.

According to him, the government pledge to bolster quality, inclusive, and fair economic growth. In 2017, government launched equitable economic policy based on three pillars namely land provision, business opportunities, and human resources development.

“One of the policies is applied through agrarian reform. We don’t only give farmers the rights to own land but also open acces to market, capital sources, and provide technical assistance,” Darmin said. ***